Apple prepping component suppliers to ship 4m new iPhones?
By Nilay Patel 
posted April 13th 2009 11:31AM
posted April 13th 2009 11:31AM
The shady iPhone component news chatter is starting to heat up as WWDC inches closer -- today we've got China Times saying that Apple's already placed an order for four million new iPhones to be delivered by the end of Q2. That's a whisper that lines up nicely with those earlier reports suggesting Cupertino's trying to lock down 100 million 8Gb flash chips from Samsung and placing orders for other components in preparation for a June launch, but we're a little skeptical of this one, since it claims that a new EDGE model is in the works along with a 3G version and a China-only variant potentially running on TD-SCDMA. Not moves we'd ordinarily expect Apple to make, but anything's possible -- we'll be keeping our eyes peeled.[Via Slashphone]
Why would you want to go back to an only EDGE model?
Because you're cheap and don't want to pay for the 3G plan? An EDGE phone is likely to be in the $99 range or even be free, but with Apple, I wouldn't hold my breath.
100M 8GB chips... 4M iPhones -> (100/4)*8 = 200GB iPhones. Woohoo! Er... something's wrong in this picture :::whine whine::: Stockpiling much, Apple?
@Jean
Youre confusing Gb with GB.
That's 4m iPhones with an average of 25GB, since a Gb is an eighth of a GB.
Oooh, good point, guys! Well, there goes my dream of finally getting rid of my 160GB iPod :-).
I can't see an Edge phone, honestly, even with those reasons. If you think about it, if they make an Edge iPhone 2009, the cheapskates who already ponied up the $199 for the iPhone 3g will be forced to re-up to the premium version. The smart thing would be to make a $99, 8GB, 3G (the current chipset), the same screen, with the 3.2MP camera, with the front facing camera, but without the multi-core chip (but with the faster iPod Touch 2g chip), without the new 3d hotness, etc. This would satisfy those who just want the camera features, the faster proc, better battery life, but aren't interested in the hardcore performance that 3.0 is capable of. That would satisfy a segment of current 3g owners, and would attract a lot of new users (my mom being one of them).
Then make an iPhone pro at 16GB and 32GB that includes all the things left out of the 8gb model , bumps you to a glass-lens 5mp camera, vga screen, etc.
i'll pick an edge variant if it's on vzw! f att!
Good luck using an EDGE phone on Verizon - EDGE is on the GSM side of the fence and Verizon uses CDMA, which is entirely incompatible.
Now that they have finally mastered "cut and paste" they will be unstoppable. :)
You noobs that keeps asking for the iPhone on VZW are stupid. If you are commenting on this site, I would assume you have some technical sense, but Jesus, this is insane, there is always some jack@$$ on here that doesn't take time to read the post.
You have to remember that these people are only guessing about what Apple intends to do. None of it has to be true. Why even bother to pay attention to these rumors? You might as well believe that Steve is going to come on stage juggling three new iPhones and a tablet.
No 64GB iPhone until the Touch reaches 128GB. The next version iPhone will definitely have 32GB. Apple would never allow them both to have the same top memory capacity. There has to be some differences to make people buy one over the other. The Touch will always have twice the capacity of the iPhone. Right now that is governed by a limitation of space in the iPhone.
Perhaps they are making an EDGE-only version because their 3G network is completely overloaded in almost all areas? Houston, we have a problem ...
An entry level EDGE phone that can be fully subsidized is a gateway for new users to try the AppStore and iTunes. Once you're locked in, having invested a good bit of money into apps and DRMed music, your next phone will also be an iPhone. Its the same reason people are reluctant to leave Blackberry, or Palm, etc.
In a way, it may be Apple's attempt to corner the smartphone market by attracting all the dumbphone users in a way that only Apple can. A good move in my opinion, although it dilutes the iPhone brand.
i heard that all of the songs are DRM-free...
"DRMed music"?
didn't you know now all iTunes music is DRM-free (at the expense of variable pricing)?
1. iTunes is 100% DRM-free now
2. Hard to argue that the apps are locking you in to an investment when so many of them are free.
Got any more arguments? Because those two sucked.
we get it, new iphone, its obvious.... seriously why keep stalking apple like we're on "to catch a predator"?
Because you keep showing up to complain about it, which generates clicks for the site?
"...got China Times saying that Apple's already placed an order for four million new iPhones to be delivered by the end of Q2..."
Does that mean that the phones are already being OEMed?
"...since it claims that a new EDGE model is in the works along with a 3G version and a China-only variant potentially running on TD-SCDMA."
1st gen iPhone, here we come!!
In anycase I am a potential customer for the 3rd gen iPhone!
--
Ashvala
(http://ashvala.net)
C'mon! Enough with the "we'll be keeping our eyes peeled" and the "take it with a grain of salt" phrases!
Learn something new!
"Keep your eyes peeled" has always sounded really painful to me...
Peel your eyes....with salt.
Maybe Apple is trying to pull off two new phones, one new 3G unit and one new EDGE+(CDMA/TD-SCDMA) unit.
CDMA and i would jump back to sprint in a minute
i don't get it, they are going back to the crappy edge system and using a new, albeit equal sized, flash-based hdd? whats the big hoopla about?
Maybe it's not about a new Phone.
Isn't there also a report floating around about Apple hiring a camera engineer project manager for iPhones and iPods?
Are we looking at an iPod Touch with camera?
Probably not June though....iPod's usually re-launch around Sept...
you can see the camera icon, but you can also see the AT&T signal bars.. so no, this an iPhone
If Apple is releasing a TD-SCDMA phone for China, is a CDMA version for Verizon too far off? God I hope not.
I don't live anywhere near an ATT 3G area, but we do have Sprint Rev.A (I have a data card for work through them)
I know this won't happen, but .....
CMDA iPhone for Sprint network would quite possibly be the best cell phone ever.
4 Apple related posts in a row?! GOGO Engadget!
CDMA only? I wonder if it's something similar to the kindle, using sprint's old towers?
more gigs pleaseeeee
16GB ought to be enough for anybody.
Apple's dream for your future:
You talk on your iPhone while making purchases for useless iPhone apps from iTunes. You put all your stuff into iLife on your iMac while your iPod plays music you downloaded from iTunes. You watch videos on your Apple TV while you browse Safari on your MacBook, constantly searching the web for any hint of new Apple products you might want to purchase.
Oh God someone shoot me if that's the future.
Incidentally, you just happened to describe the life of a typical Engadget editor.
You two geniuses are absolutely right. Apple should really not be trying to get you to use their products. That's just a terrible way of doing business AMIRITE?
Oh and since we're on the subject, what's Microsoft's dream for your future, hmm? I'm sure it doesn't involve anything as scandalous as trying to get you to use their products, right?
EDGE version would be for China - most regular phone models released there have their UMTS stripped (e.g. see all the sony ericsson phones that get a XX8c release that's the same minus video call camera and UMTS)
Totally makes sense..
The *new* iphone is going to be *THE NEW IPHONE 3G*, sporting HSDPA, OLED display and the mentioned 5 Mpix camera etc.,
while the EDGE version without GPS is going to be the *NEW IPHONE* offered in the same dimensions as the ipod touch as an alternative.
i hope apple make a 64GB iphone
Not any time soon. But if there's a 32GB iPhone (very likely) there will probably be a 64GB Touch.
It seems like as soon as you have the latest apple gadget, they hose you over by coming out with something better...
I don't consider a release of another 8gb phone as a favor to any future buyers. I guess
Apple doesn't care about making sure that they give us the most value possible.
If they did, every new phone from here on out would have a minimum of 16gb
of memory. Apple sure has shown their colors these past few years
with underpowered, small HDD's & memory short offerings that add up to a good
30% Apple tax. I don't know about you, but I'm really getting tired of the ever increasing
Apple tax I'm ask to pay. Sorry about the rant but having been an Apple fan
for over 10 yrs. I'm finding myself less & less impressed with Apples products.
I did my part to assist Apple in accumulating a 25 billion dollar saving acct. & this
is how we get treated.
Oh, c'mon
where is the flash?
It must be hiding
Inside my ash.
Oh, c'mon.
Where is the flash?
If they did that
They'd have my cash.
I mean.. it makes more sense.. right?
My headphones just recently broke after about 10 uses. I wonder if these are any better...